No School Board help for raccoon-killing Ocala teacher

Joe Callahan @JoeOcalaNews

Thursday

May 17, 2018 at 2:06 PMMay 18, 2018 at 5:49 PM

Three members voice disgust; all agree Dewie Brewton is entitled to due process.

School Board Chairwoman Beth McCall said on Thursday that while the Forest High School teacher accused of enlisting students to help drown two raccoons and an opossum clearly violated the teacher’s code of conduct, the instructor has due process rights under his teaching contract that must be honored before the board rules on his fate.

"He will be dealt with appropriately," McCall told the Star-Banner during a break at the board's Thursday work session, which concerned different topics.

Students say that Forest's ag-science teacher, Dewie Brewton, instructed students to use metal rods to keep the animals, which were in cages lowered into water-filled garbage bins, under water.

The moments before the drowning of the raccoons and opossum were captured on video by a student and shared with an Orlando television station. The story has been reported by dozens of media outlets around the world and inspired multiple comments on social media.

McCall said Brewton's actions were "unacceptable" and that children will have nightmares.

"He violated the teacher's code of conduct and put our kids at risk," she told the paper during the break.

McCall said that, pursuant to Brewton's due process rights, the district has suspended Brewton with pay pending a district investigation. After that investigation is completed, the district investigative team will recommend a punishment, ranging from suspension to termination, to Superintendent of Schools Heidi Maier.

Though the investigation has not been concluded, Maier announced Wednesday that she will recommend to the School Board that Brewton be fired. Once a letter to that effect is filed and mailed to the teacher, then the issue officially can go before the School Board for a vote.

If the board approves the firing, the employee will have an opportunity to appeal that decision during a hearing before the very same School Board.

Board member Bobby James said during the break that he wants more information about the case, which he called an "unfortunate incident."

"I want to see how this could have been handled differently," said James, adding that he is conflicted because Brewton is a great teacher with a stellar reputation.

Board member Kelly King told the Star-Banner after the board work session that the drowning is not acceptable behavior.

“I am appalled,” King said.

Board member Nancy Stacy said she was saddened by the incident.

”I can’t think of anything more heinous than drowning a helpless creature except for the killing of a moving helpless unborn human with a heartbeat,” she wrote in a text statement to the Star-Banner.

Board member Angie Boynton said in a prepared statement sent via email that “the extent of the information I have is based upon the news reports.”

“These reports are appalling," she wrote. "However, there are procedures in place to ensure employees receive their due process protections while the matter is fully investigated. Upon conclusion of the investigation the superintendent will make a recommendation and, if challenged, the board will hear the matter and make a final determination based on the facts of the case.”

Boynton continued by repeating a portion of the school district's statement from Wednesday: “Marion County’s education standards — in fact, Florida’s education standards — do not include activities for the destruction of live animals, nuisance or not. While law enforcement determines whether this teacher’s actions were legal or not, his actions before students are entirely unacceptable and cause us great concern.”

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating. So is the Florida Department of Health.

According to the former agency's website, "live-captured nuisance wildlife must be released legally or euthanized humanely within 24 hours of capture or trap inspection."

For guidance on legal release, the website says:

"Native nuisance wildlife may be released on the property of the landowner where captured provided the release site and capture site are located on one contiguous piece of property. Native nuisance wildlife may be released off the capture site if the release site is a minimum of 40 contiguous acres, located in the same county as the capture site, and the person releasing the nuisance wildlife has in their possession written permission from the landowner of the release site allowing release on their property. Nuisance wildlife may not be released on federal, state, county, local or private lands without written permission of the landowner."

For guidance on allowable euthanasia, the agency links to the Report of the American Veterinary Medical Association Panel on Euthanasia. That document includes drowning on its list of unacceptable primary methods of euthanasia.

Joe Callahan can be reached at 867-4113 or at joe.callahan@starbanner.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoeOcalaNews.

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